Piers...docks...everywhere, but your results in fishing these so-called hot-spots have been less than you've expected. Were the experts wrong in touting these targets as potentially good fish producers? Or maybe the piers and docks in the lakes around them are good, but in your area they just don't seem to produce. What's the real scoop?

The fact is piers and docks can be great producers of fish, even on close-to-home, hard-fished lakes. One of my favorite "pier" lakes is super clear Lake Geneva, a water-sport playpen located between Chicago and Milwaukee. I've caught hundreds of bass and panfish from the piers and docks in that lake, plus walleyes over nine pounds; lakes don't come much tougher than Geneva!

The first consideration in fishing piers and docks is their construction. Quite simply--wood holds a lot more fish than metal, and structures that extend out the farthest are usually the best ones in the area. Piers and docks that have more corners are usually better than straight ones, especially on waters where they are frequently fished. An important note to fishing piers and docks with corners: work for casting angles that let you put your presentation into spots that most anglers bypass. Don't just fish off the ends of piers and docks!

I've had more success around piers and docks that were closer to the water (they provide better shade), and around ones that received less use. We've caught plenty of fish around high-use docks, but I really like to look for that "neglected" sort of run-down, off-the-beaten track pier whenever possible.

A few early spring seasons ago , I ran by a pier in a northern lake that had been left in the water all winter. Ice damage had left it a mess. Three or four supports had broken down and crisscrossed near it's end. I started to jig fish it and caught a bass on about the fourth cast, then another. Nineteen bass were boated that early May morning--sixteen came off that broken-down pier in seven visits. Three fish came from the rest of the lake. Almost the same catch ratio (pier versus the rest of the lake) was experienced two days later, with a total of 21 bass boated and released.

There are several lessons to be learned about that instance. Besides the pier itself, note I said seven visits were made to that pier! It is very common for fish to slowly filter into a spot all day during cold-water conditions. You often catch one, two, three fish off a spot--then nothing. Leave it alone for an hour, you can often come back and catch one, two, or three fish.

Another important consideration in cold-water fishing, particularly for prespawn fish, is to make repeated casts to the best looking spots around a pier or dock. Often that first or even second cast won't get a response from the fish, but a third or fourth cast will.

Piers that may not produce in colder weather may be decent producers during the warmer months. During warmer times fish will tend to make longer horizontal movements, thus putting them across flats to reach piers and docks that were less desirable in colder weather. Warmer summer weather often puts some type of weed or algae growth on the flats and provides a link-up between a group of piers and a drop-off or other breakline.

As a rule, piers and docks that end in deeper water are better than those that end shallower in the same body of water. But depth is relative. Three or four feet of water around a pier in a dingy lake may be okay, but in a clear lake this depth range would usually only produce under absolute peak seasonal or weather conditions. And even then success would usually be short-lived.

While piers and docks in most clear lakes tend to produce better in the spring or fall, don't overlook them for night-fishing opportunities. One of my favorite "sneaky patterns" for tough clear lakes is to night fish around lighted piers and docks. Once darkness sets in and the lake becomes barren of boaters (or the vast majority of them), I'll motor from one lighted dock to the next and cast to the area around the pier light(s). Bass, crappies, white bass, and even walleyes will usually be in the top half of the water's depth, feeding on insects and/or minnows drawn in by the bug life.

When nearing piers at night, head directly at them so your waves don't disrupt the feeding fish. It's best to cover the last 75-100 yards via an electric motor.

Docks and piers owned by anglers often have 'extras" around them to attract fish. Sunken brush piles, felled trees, rock piles, weighted tires, and building blocks are some of the various forms of cover used. Identify these piers by numerous rod holders, fish attracting lights, cane poles on the pier, minnow pail or stringer hanging in the water, or other tell-tale items.

In addition to these tips remember this important ingredient--a pier or dock's relationship to deeper water and/or cover. Anytime you can tie in an object with structure, breaks, or a breakline (edge), the better the chance it will produce. Don't forget your basic structure fishing guidelines when casting to objects. Target areas that are more closely related to deeper water, cover, or edges will usually be the best producers.